Adams Board of Health Raises Permitting Fees
 The Board of Health last week voted to raise permit fees. |
ADAMS, Mass. — The Board of Health is raising many of its permit fees to better match surrounding municipalities.
Chairman Allen Mendel said the fees were last changed a decade ago.
"We haven't changed these since 2004," Mendel said as the board reviewed each fee with Code Enforcement Officer Scott Koczela at last Wednesday's meeting. "We are a little out of line, and we are very low on some of these."
One of the biggest changes the board made was for food permits for temporary events up to 14 days. Previously the fee was a flat $20, however, the board decided to implement a sliding fee based on how long a vendor wanted to operate.
Mendel said $20 does not reflect the time Koczela has to put in to inspect vendors operating for a long period of time.
"Scott has gone down, and it has always been weekends or after hours," he said. "We do have outside interests that come in and they make a good profit and move on."
Board member Patricia Clairmont said it would be unfair to vendors who only operate for one day to raise the fee too much.
"Someone could come in here for $20 and work two weeks," Clairmont said. "The poor guy who wants to come in for one night is paying the same amount."
For one day the fee will remain at $20, but a two- to three-day inspection will cost $30, and four days or more will cost $50.
Clairmont said she was concerned that raising the longer-term fee to $50 would discourage vendors who set up at the farmers' market. Because these vendors operate for more than four days throughout the summer, it would cost $50 for a season.
"I would hate to deter anyone who has been active in that farmers market from coming again if we up the fee to $50 because they are doing a service for the town," Clairmont said. "They are making a profit, but certainly substantially less than someone who is running a thing at a fair."
The board decided to make a new category for vendors wanting to participate in the farmers market with a permit cost $20 for the season.
It also decided to make modest changes in food establishment permits to help struggling restaurants.
Currently Adams charges a $40 flat fee; other areas increase the price depending on how many seats are in the establishment.
The board decided to raise the fee $10, a $50 flat fee.
"We have a lot of small places, and ... I think most of our restaurants are struggling," Mendel said. "If we are looking to raise it I would not raise it a whole lot."
The board also raised catering fees from $40 to $50 and mobile vendors from $20 to $25; residential kitchens and retail permits will go from $40 to $50.
The permit fees for surrounding municipalities are all more than $50 and some closer to $100.
The board discussed making larger increases to inspection fees of tattoo parlors. Adams charges $150 for parlor inspections yearly; a tattoo artist inspection is conducted every two years and costs $100.
Adams sets its fees according to what the state deems appropriate, however, North Adams charges $300 for both inspections and Pittsfield charges $100.
Board member Roy Thompson said he would like to find out if they can raise the fees.
"Those are the kind of fees I don't mind raising," Thompson said. "It's OK, but there is something about it, and I don't think it is complement to our community, and I don't think it is healthy."
The board decided to implement a campground fee in anticipation of the possible Greylock Glen campsite. For under 100 campsites the fee will be $100, for 100-200 it will be $150, for more than 200, it will be $300.
The board agreed to remove a $15 burial fee. Adams is the only town that has one.
"The cemetery department raised all of their fees, and I don't think we are gaining a lot for the number of burials we have a year," Clairmont said. "My feeling is people are paying enough through that; people pay a lot to leave this world and it's too much."
The board raised their $35 fee for inspections of cabins, motels, and hotels to $75 to better reflect the amount of time it takes for an inspection and to match it with surrounding towns.
Commercial trash hauler permits were raised from $35 to $75 and manufactured housing from $30 to $50. The board made alterations to septic system fees with installer and hauler permits raised from $35 to $75.
The board also changed the fee for the percolation test witness. The fee currently is $100, but it does not reflect the time Koczela has to witness the test.
"I have been up there until it has gotten pitch black," Koczela said. "It depends on how long it takes for the water to go down; one half-an-hour an inch is not uncommon and you have to drop six inches."
The new fee will be $100 for the first four hours and $25 for each extra hour after that.
The board changed the tobacco fee from $30 to $50 and well fees from $30 to $75.
Tags: board of health, fees, permitting,
